Governor Brad Henry signed legislation on Tuesday requiring day care providers to have liability insurance.

Demarion's Law would require all state child care facilities to maintain liability insurance of at least $200,000 for each occurrence of negligence.

The law was named after Demarion Pittman, a three-year-old boy who suffered severe brain injuries after his day care providers left him in a hot car for over an hour last summer. His medical bills have totaled nearly $2 million so far.

There are some exceptions for day cares that cannot afford it or are not approved for insurance. They can keep operating as long as they notify parents that they do not have insurance.

$200,000 is but a drop in the bucket as liability insurance goes, especially for the namesake's cause.

Yet, one could imagine that this new law, which takes effect on November 1st, will do two thing:

• Empower parents to have more information available to them in picking daycare providers
• Put pressure on less-than-scrupulous daycare providers to operate legally or lose the business

Now, parents absolutely must ask (and as Reagan said, "verify") the insurance status of anyone providing daycare for their children.